Photovoltaic properties of ferroelectrics and their applications to optical sensor

Photovoltaic (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PLZT) films in a layered structure of different crystallographic orientations are fabricated by an optimized metalorganic deposition (MOD) method. Such films of (001) orientation exhibit a photovoltaic electrical power of approximately 20 times higher than that of random films. The anisotropic optical properties of the oriented films, including dark conductivity, photoconductivity and photovoltaic tensor surfaces, are obtained quantitatively. These results show that the photovoltaic output current and power of the oriented films are highly improved to be equal to those of semiconductors and suitable for application in the optical sensor of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).